User Reviews

Reviews: 1 | Ratings: 1

3.88/5rDev n/alook: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Raspberry iced tea, a gorgeous color that was probably due to the use of Victory malt. Atop the beer sat a slim beige beret that lasted but a few minutes and left thin, delicate, clinging sheets of lace. The wonderful color of the ale easily overcame any shortcomings in the head and lace departments.

Brewpub beer is often aroma deficient and Holidaze was no exception. Even though it was weak, it was nicely balanced between malt and hops and was appealingly fruity. Since the ABV bumps up against the Iowa cap, I expected to smell a little alcohol... but didn't.

My first impression upon drinking was how caramel malty the beer was. The malt bill consists of Pale, Victory and Dark Crystal and was obviously well chosen. There was a sweet, firmly toasted base underneath all those Cascade hops. I have it on good faith that only Cascade was used, but I would have sworn that there was also a spicy variety in there somewhere.

After that first mouthful, it became obvious that Holidaze was hoppier than it was malty (not significantly so). In fact, it reminded me somewhat of a balanced, baby DIPA. That was partly because the alcohol became more evident as I got deeper into the glass. It was still pretty well-masked, but was a definite contributor to the flavor profile.

If I hadn't known the malt bill, I would have sworn that rye malt was used. The spiciness of the beer just had to be due to something and I don't believe that any spices were used. My favorite flavor was the caramel-coated orange, lemon and grapefruitiness. Gotta love those Cascade hops. The finish was slightly sticky with a light brown sugariness that went well with what preceded it.

Winter warmers can be all over the map with regard to mouthfeel. I feel about them the way that I feel about most styles... the bigger the better. This one was approximately the heft of a mid-range IPA and had a bit of a stickyslick finish, as noted above. Well-buried, yet still enlivening, carbonation pulled it all together beautifully.

Holidaze is the biggest winter warmer that Iowans are able to enjoy on-tap. I'd love to see what wdmrock could create if he was allowed a few more percentage points to play around with (another 6% would do nicely), but it looks like I'll have to wait at least a few years for that to come to pass. This beer was warming enough on this single digit day and is an offering that I'll look forward to each and every holiday season.